


A Sanders FamILY Christmas, Or Whatever

by RavenpuffWrites



Series: The World We're Gonna Make [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas With Family, Family Bonding, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Orphans AU, Platonic LAMP - Freeform, Song Lyrics, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, The boys have their first Christmas with Thomas, and it's super cute, family lamp, little bits of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-19 14:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16536470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenpuffWrites/pseuds/RavenpuffWrites
Summary: A collection of stories chronicling the first Christmas of the Sanders FamILY.





	1. Christmas Is My Favorite

**Author's Note:**

> Who's ready for some Sanders Sides Christmas Fluff (with some hints of angst?)  
> I'll be updating this over the course of the next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas with various stories about the boy's first Christmas, some of the stories directly connected while others will be separate. I hope you enjoy all of them either way.

The first thing Virgil was aware of when he woke up the first day of November was just how cold, and by extension empty, the bed was. Unsurprisingly he was the last one awake, as per usual, although usually, Roman slept in long enough he was still hanging around by the time Virgil woke up. They all knew how cold Virgil got when he was left alone, it was one of the reasons he still refused to sleep in his own bed even now when the nightmares came far and few in between. Worse, Virgil realized when he sat up and looked at the clock beside Patton’s bed, it was hardly 9 in the morning. Far too early to be awake on a Saturday, especially the night after Halloween.

‘It was outrageous’, Virgil thought to himself, pulling his hoodie closer around him as he finally got out of bed, shivering slightly in the change of temperature. God he hated waking up cold. It was going to take forever to warm up, and until he did someone was going to have to deal with him clinging to their side and taking their heat. Preferable Logan, or Roman, both of them were like heaters. As good of a cuddler as Patton was, he was also just as cold as Virgil typically was, so it wasn’t a good way for either of them to warm up.

“Ah, good morning Virgil.” Logan greeted, looking up from his book as Virgil trudged into the room, eyes only half open. Virgil didn’t respond verbally, but he did walk over a take a seat next to Logan, burrowing into his side in an attempt to gain some warmth. Logan chuckled, shifting to wrap one of his arms around the younger boy and moving his book to rest on the arm of the couch. “You’re up early.”

“Cold,” Virgil said as a way of explanation, a small smile crossing his face as he snuggled closer to Logan’s warmth. “Even Ro was up already.”

“Yes, well that is because he and Patton have been busy since early this morning,” Logan replied, rolling his eyes as glanced towards the kitchen, where the duo had disappeared half an hour ago. “I do not know exactly what they are up to, but I imagine it cannot be anything good.”

“Hmm, where’s Dee at?” Virgil asked, turning his head so that his voice wasn’t so muffled and Logan could understand him better. “Did he go home already?”

“If you mean has his nanny called asking where he was yet, the answer is no,” Logan said, bitterness creeping into his tone, and Virgil couldn’t stop himself from laughing softly as Logan’s protective mother instincts kicked in. It wasn’t a secret that Logan hated Dee’s family situation, and given the chance they were all fairly sure the 12-year-old would gladly fight Dee’s parents. If they were ever actually around, that was. “I doubt she’s even noticed he hasn’t come home yet.”

Logan wasn’t exactly a fan of Dee’s nanny either. Dee wasn’t either, which was why he had resisted going home last night after they returned from trick-or-treating, going as far as to hide himself in the bathtub (where he wound up, in turn, falling asleep) when Thomas went to take Remy and Emile home so that he wouldn’t have to go as well.

“Dee prefers it that way.” Virgil pointed out, thinking of all the times they had found the younger boy alone around town, and how much happier he was that way.

“Regardless of what he prefers, it is irresponsible,” Logan muttered, and Virgil hummed in agreement, not wanting to push the topic any further. Silence fell over them for a minute, until Logan remembered the question Virgil had asked. “Dee got up with Patton and Roman this morning to help in their escapades, but he too apparently got cold before long so found a patch of sun to fall asleep in.”

Virgil snorted softly. “Are we sure he isn’t part snake?”

“That is biologically impossible Virgil. How on earth would Dee be part snake?” Logan asked, genuine confusion slipping into his voice, and Virgil bit back a sigh as rolled over so he was facing Logan.

“It... it was a joke, Lo,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes at the older boy. “You really take everything I say too seriously.”

“Ah, forgive me, Virgil,” Logan replied, smiling apologetically at Virgil, who waved it off his eyes already closed again. Silence fell over them for a few minutes and Virgil began to drift off back to sleep, but just before he was able to, Patton and Roman came into the room dragging several boxes overflowing with decorations, which they dragged to the middle of living leaving a trail of noise and mess behind them.

“What on earth are you two doing?” Logan asked, raising his voice slightly to get their attention, scaring Patton who dropped his box and in turn startled Virgil, who sat up so quickly for a moment Logan was afraid he was about to sprint from the room.

“What does it look like we’re doing, Sherlock?” The sound of Roman’s voice was enough to bring Virgil back from the edge of his panic, although an annoyed scowl fell on his face as he leaned against Logan still tired but no longer able to sleep.

“We’re decorating for Christmas!” Patton exclaimed, pulling out a handful of garland from one of the boxes, smiling brightly as he held it up for Logan and Virgil to see. “We decided to start with the living room cause that’s the first thing you see, but we’re going to do the whole house if we have enough stuff.”

“It’s November 1st,” Logan said slowly, looking between the two boys with a small frown. “Yesterday was Halloween. Christmas is still another two months almost.”

“Which is exactly why we have to start decorating now!” Roman grinned, bouncing on the heels of his feet as he looked around the room, eyes wide with the vision he and Pat had come up with. “We’re already behind! My mom would start decorating as soon as the clock struck midnight, and we’re well past that by now.”

“Roman’s got a bunch of plans on how to make this the best Christmas ever,” Patton said to Logan, smiling at the younger boy who was now slowly unpacking the box he had drug in. “Isn’t it exciting Lo? It’s our first real Christmas. Our first one as a complete family!”

“I still do not understand why the two of you feel the need to start now,” Logan said, his eyebrows creasing slightly as he tried to understand the logic behind the pair's actions. “I mean, do you really need this long to celebrate Christmas?”

“I agree with Lo,” Virgil muttered from where he sat pressed against the older boy’s side, completely curled in on himself and chewing on his lip as he watched the decorations slowly begin to spread out on the floor. “What’s so fucking great about Christmas you need to celebrate it for this long anyway?”

“What’s so great?” Roman gasped loudly, dropping the wad of lights he had pulled out back into the box in shock as he turned towards Virgil, eyes wide in disbelief. “What’s so great?”

“That’s what I asked, yeah,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes at Roman’s dramatics. “It’s just a stupid cash holiday.”

“How dare-“ Roman scoffed, clearly offended by Virgil’s thoughts against Christmas, but before he could finish his sentence Patton was starting to sing.

_“I can't believe the time is here. To deck the halls and spread some cheer!”_

Roman grinned brightly, joining him as they continued

_“It is our favorite season. Though we can't place the reason. Christmas is our favorite time of year!”_

_“Okay, you just kinda stated stuff we already knew.”_ Virgil deadpanned, sharing a look with Logan who had equally not entirely bought into the idea the pair were selling

 _“Yeah, we get that you like Christmas, but what is it about Christmas that you like?”_ Logan asked, prodding for a deeper answer which Roman seemed more than happy to answer

 _“Hoho! I'll tell you! We'll wrap our presents good and tight. And shower Christmas trees with lights.”_ Roman sang, wrapping a strand of lighted garland around Virgil and Logan as he sang, scrambling to plug it in. Patton laughed as the pair sudden burst into light before singing

_“Oh, yuletide carols we shall sing. Though I'm not sure what "yuletide" means. But Christmas is my favorite silent night!”_

Unamused, Logan removed the lights from around him and Virgil before standing up, brushing off a few loose needles that had fallen on his shoulders before asking the pair _“So, you're about the decorations hanging everywhere?”_

 _“Don't sing.”_ Virgil scowled, curling in on himself more now that he was alone and still very cold.

 _“The couples under mistletoe, And snowflakes in the air?”_ Logan continued, ignoring Virgil’s interruption, although he did send the younger boy an apologetic smile.

 _“Lo, please,”_ Virgil pleaded, needing at least one person on his side against the onslaught of Christmas the two were trying to drown them in.

 _“The Christmas morning presents That you open with excitement and delight! So am I right?”_ Logan finished, looking sure that he had gotten the right answer.

 _“Not quite,”_ Roman said a slight frown on his face that made Logan respond in shock

_“What?!”_

_“I love the bells on Santa's sleigh_ ” Roman explained, sitting next to Virgil and throwing an arm around his brother as he sang _“And all the reindeer games to pla-a-ay”_

 _“Get to the point before I vomit.”_ Virgil pushed Roman away from him, his scowl deepening as the youngest cheer never seemed to fade despite Virgil’s attempts to dim the mood.

 _“I can't just put my finger on it. But Christmas is my favorite holiday!”_ Roman finished, laying his head on Virgil’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around his stomach, knowing that Virgil could never resist a hug while cold, even if he was upset with the others. _“I know my reasonings unclear”_

 _“But I’m still smiling ear to ear!”_ Patton took over, wrapping Logan in a hug of his own, catching the oldest off guard who could only frown as Patton continued to sing. _“Call me "Saint Nick" 'Cause I'll keep giving So long as I can keep reliving!”_

 _“Christmas is our favorite time–”_ Roman joined in for the last few lines, harmonizing perfectly with Patton as they finished “ _Don't ask about reason or rhyme. Just know that it’s our favorite time of year!”_

“That… was not exactly an answer to the question either one of us asked,” Logan frowned, looking around the room at just how much stuff Patton and Roman had managed to drag out in the short time since they have arrived. “Does Thomas even know that the two of you have all of this planned?”

“You could say that.” Patton grinned mischievously, sharing a look with Roman that had Virgil narrowing his eyes at the pair. Before he had a chance to ask what they were up to though, Thomas burst into the room carrying a box of his own, singing

“ _It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go_.” Thomas set the box down on the floor, smiling at the four boys when he noticed them gathered there. “Good morning kiddos. Logan, Virgil, are you two going to help us decorate for Christmas?”

“Not you too,” Virgil groaned, burying his face in Roman’s hair despite the younger boy’s protest that he would mess it up. “Why is everyone in this house so in love with this stupid holiday?”

“Sorry kiddo, it’s Sanders family tradition,” Thomas chuckled, ruffling Virgil’s hair affectionately and eliciting a hiss from Virgil in response that had him quickly pulling his hand away. “We always go all out for Christmas. And that includes starting the day after Halloween ends.”

“I still think it is far too early to be practical,” Logan said, a slight frown on his face and for a moment Virgil felt hope flutter in his chest that Logan was still on his side about this being a stupid idea.

“However, if it makes Roman and Patton happy, I am more than willing to participate in this decorating. It will go much faster if we all work together, and once it is done we will be able to move on.”

Virgil’s scowl returned to his face as he pushed Roman away from him again, climbing off the couch with the full intent of returning to bed when Patton grabbed his arm, looking confused and a little concerned “Virge? Don’t you want to help us decorate kiddo?”

“It’s too cold to decorate, I’m going back to bed,” Virgil mumbled, pulling his arm free and heading out of the living room before the others could stop him. There was no way in hell he was going to help decorate for some stupid dumb holiday like Christmas, that was for sure.

“Have I missed something?” Thomas asked, staring after where Virgil disappeared for a moment before turning to the trio of kids left. “Is there something going on with Virgil?”

“He complained when he first woke about being left alone in bed cold,” Logan said, knitting his eyebrows together as he tried to figure out if there were any other signs of something being wrong.

“Maybe it’s just a bad day?” Patton suggested, looking just as lost as Thomas and Logan. “That happens sometimes.”

“Maybe…” Thomas agreed, not looking entirely convinced, but also not having another answer. “He might also just need some more sleep, he isn’t usually up this early.”

Roman who had remained silent up until now stood up, drawing attention to himself as he went to follow Virgil’s footsteps.

“Ro, where are you going?” Patton asked the youngest of the group, causing Roman to stop and turn to face them with a sad look on his face.

“I think I know why Virge is upset,” Roman explained, his voice a little softer than normal, but he was determined as he added, “So I’m gonna fix it.”

“Roman I’m not sure-” Logan started in an attempt to stop Roman before he could make things worse, but Roman simply ignored him and marched out of the room to find Virgil.

Silence fell over the remaining three in the living room, until after a few minutes Patton finally asked: “So should we start decorating without them?”

“Maybe you and Lo can go bake some cookies instead while we wait,” Thomas suggested, smiling gently down at the pair to hide the worry still clear in his eyes. “Ro was so excited to decorate, I don’t think it’s fair to start without him.”

“Perhaps we could make Virgil’s favorite cookies in order to cheer him up,” Logan added, and instantly Patton’s face lit up at the idea, and he grabbed Logan’s hand excitedly, dragging him towards the kitchen.

Thomas watched them go still smiling, but the second they disappeared from the room it fell into a frown. Something was going on with Virgil, something only Roman seemed to have the slightest clue about, and Thomas had no idea how to help except to sit around and wait for the two to return and see if things were okay. He wished that there was more he could do, but after months of taking care of the boys Thomas knew that pushing for an answer only ever made things worse.

So he just had to wait, and hope, and pray that everything would be okay and that Roman would be able to help Virgil with whatever problem he was dealing with. And until then, he should probably make sure that Logan and Patton didn’t get into too much trouble in the kitchen.


	2. Where Are You Christmas?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman finds Virgil, and finds out why he doesn't like Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for mentions of Christmas, panic attacks, and child abuse/neglect. Nothing really detailed, but they are mentioned.

“Virgil?” Roman called out softly as he entered their shared bedroom, loud enough to alert his brother to his presence without scaring him from being too loud. Virgil didn’t respond at first, but as Roman moved closer to his bed, suddenly the pile of covers he was under moved, and faintly Roman heard a muttered 

“Go away”

“I can’t,” Roman insisted, shaking his head despite the fact that Virgil wouldn’t see it. “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Please, Virgil? We’re worried about you,” Roman added after several moments of silence passed with no indication that Virgil was going to give in any time soon. “I didn’t mean to upset you by making it Christmas.” 

Virgil didn’t speak, but after another minute or so he did lift up the covers enough for Roman to be able to crawl under them and join him in the small nest he had made. Lying face to face with his older brother, Roman noticed for the first time that Virgil was crying. 

“Virgil? Why are you crying?” Roman asked, hesitating only a second before he was hugging Virgil as tightly as he could, tears in his own eyes as he apologized “I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m sorry. I just wanted to share Christmas with my family just like my mamma did. I didn’t know it was gonna upset you.” 

Virgil wrapped his own arms around Roman in response to his rambling, a silent acknowledgment that he at least wasn’t mad at Roman for what had happened. For a long moment they sat like that in silence, until finally Virgil was able to find his voice. 

“My parents used to throw a big party every Christmas Eve,” Virgil explained, his voice hesitant and quiet, revealing just how scared he was to repeat his thoughts out loud like he was afraid of being overheard and getting in trouble for daring to tell the horrible things his parents had done. Even after almost six months in the safety of the Sanders home, Virgil still hadn’t gotten over the fear of saying too much. 

They had all learned by now to be patient in waiting for Virgil to continue, and so Roman said nothing as Virgil tried to calm his thoughts, until he was able to speak again. “It was always really loud and full of people doing all kinds of bad stuff. They would drink a lot… and I always had to fetch them whatever they wanted. If I didn’t go fast enough, they would hit me. And if I told my parents they would laugh and say I deserved it. 

“I started having panic attacks when I was 5. It started at one of the parties and everybody laughed because they thought it was funny. I thought I was dying... My parents kept yelling at me to quit embarrassing them… like they didn’t even care that I couldn’t stop it. After that one of my parent's friends who was at the party did whatever he could to make me have an attack every time I saw him. Because he thought it was funny to see me freak out.” 

“On Christmas day I was never allowed to leave my room. I was never good enough the night before, my parents would say. That’s why Santa never came, and why I wasn’t allowed any presents. I couldn’t even celebrate Christmas at school if they did something because I wasn’t good enough. If my parents found out I got involved they would lock me in the basement without any dinner.” 

Roman sniffled quietly, trying somehow to move closer to Virgil as if maybe he could protect him from the memories alone. It wasn’t fair that his brother had to suffer for so long alone just because his parents were bad people. It wasn’t fair that Virgil never got to celebrate Christmas because he was too afraid. 

“Virgil… I know we can’t make up for all the bad things your parents did to you,” Roman said quietly, tilting his head up enough that he could make eye contact with Virgil, trying to smile despite the tears. “But… we can give you a real Christmas if you want.”

“I want to but…” Virgil started, his voice shaking still, and Roman wished not for the first time that he could take away the pain Virgil was feeling, protect him the way a real Disney prince would be able to. “What if something goes wrong? What if something bad happens?” 

“You know we would never let anything happen to you V,” Roman replied, squeezing Virgil’s hand to reassure him. And then, putting on his princey voice, Roman puffed his chest out slightly and added “Prince Roman would never let something bad happen. Especially not on Christmas.” 

Virgil chuckled softly, wiping the tears from his eyes as he looked down at Roman, asking “Can we do Christmas slowly? I know you and Pat are excited but…” 

“I’m sure Thomas and Pat will be okay taking Christmas slowly if it makes you feel better,” Roman assured him, still using his princey voice in hopes that it would sound more convincing coming from Prince Roman rather just plain Roman himself. After all, Prince Roman was a knight, and he always kept his promises and protected his people. He was everything Roman wasn’t. Surely he had to be as comforting to others as he was to him. 

“Okay,” Virgil agreed, and Roman felt for the first time since he had found Virgil a real smile growing on his face. 

“Okay?” 

“We can try to do Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> Want to know more about this series? Check out the tag on Tumblr: https://potterhead2468.tumblr.com/tagged/The-World-We're-Gonna-Make-Verse


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